The Challenge:  A process that was “always done that way” could not keep up with current demand.  More staff were hired but the backlog remained and even grew.  The new IT system turned out to be a panacea.  Cases, investigations, and

applications grew more difficult to close as they age.  Staff found themselves “putting out fires” and “jumping through hoops” to respond to expedited requests.  Customer complaints grew and this drew the attention of board members and the executive director.  

What Good Looks Like:  A simple, reliable process that meets customer expectations and processes applications “first in, first out.”  No backlog or, at most, a manageable amount that does not delay the process.  

The Approach:  ReEngine analyzed the process using “Little’s Law” (customer wait time is the backlog divided by the completion rate).  ReEngine and the project team wrote up “sports plays” which prepared answers for frequently encountered problems and questions.  ReEngine developed a dashboard to track the flow of the work (below).  ReEngine incorporated staff ideas into the solution’s design because the people who do the work are best positioned to improve the work.  

‍The Results:  A stable, dependable process that improved its speed by 51% in one case (reflected by the above ReEngine-designed dashboard – results vary from 25% to 72 % improvement).  Quality simultaneously improved.  Contingencies built into the SOP prepared the office for seasonal surges.  The office began to use data to make better decisions.  Capacity gains were applied to training, neglected projects, and more continuous improvement.  Staff felt as though they could achieve more with less effort.

The Team:  Rob Risko, one of ReEngine’s senior analysts, developed a Strategic Compass that clarified the organization’s goal and helped everyone visualize what good looks like. David Johnson conducted a deep dive into existing data and reengineered their performance measurement. Alfredo Mycue interviewed key stakeholders and observed staff doing their work. Considerable credit for the improvements goes to agency staff who teamed with ReEngine staff to map the steps of the review process, capturing good ideas, and possible solutions along the way.